Did Hazrat Adam (Peace Be Upon Him) Set Foot First In India, When He Arrived On This Planet?

Where Hazrat Adam First Entered The World Is Not Conclusively Proven

Main Points

1.    According to the Quran and Sunnah, the first person to set foot on the earth was Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him).

2.    There is a great deal of controversy about whether India was the first place where Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) set foot on the planet.

3.    Nothing in the Quran is said regarding the location of the earthly landing of Hazrat Adam peace be upon him.

4.    The scholarly viewpoints differ on this matter.

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By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam

13 January 2023

There is a great deal of controversy about whether India was the first place where Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) set foot on the planet. Some claim that he originally descended in a region that was formerly a part of ancient India, while others assert that it is now a region of Sri Lanka. We will provide a few narrations in this response that suggest it is impossible to determine exactly where Hazrat Adam first came.

According to the Holy Quran, the first person to set foot on the earth was Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him), who was also the Prophet and Messenger of Allah Azzawajal. The Quran also clearly establishes that after eating from the tree, Hazrat Adam and Hawwa' (peace be upon them) descended to earth from Paradise.

Allah says in the Quran:

“But Satan deceived them—leading to their fall from the ˹blissful˺ state they were in, and We said, “Descend from the heavens ˹to the earth˺ as enemies to each other. You will find in the earth a residence and provision for your appointed stay.” (2:36)

Nothing in the Quran is said regarding the location of their earthly landing. There is no Hadith from the Sahih or Marfoo that explains that. The hadith that states, "Adam fell down in India and felt lonely," is one of the weaker hadiths. Some hadith scholars consider this a weak hadith that was reported by Ibn 'Asaakir in Tarikh Dimashq (7/437). There are further Hadiths that touch on this subject, but their chains of transmission are exceedingly weak (Daif).

The statements of a few Muslim scholars from the past are the sole Sahih reports on this subject, and the majority of them are drawn from the narrations of the People of the Book that were passed down to them at the time. Such reports, in the opinion of Muslim scholars, cannot be relied upon or trusted, and it is not permitted to believe what they have to say on topics that are off-limits to our Religion and that they could just be utilised as a storytelling tool.

Despite this, there are various scholarly viewpoints on this matter. According to certain reports, Adam may have descended in India even if Hawwa did so in Jeddah. According to some stories, they both arrived in India. According to certain scholars, Adam descended on the nation of Dahna, which is halfway between Makkah and al-Taa'if. Some points of view convey the notion that Adam descended on Safa and Hazrat Hawwa descended on Marwah.

According to the author of the Quran-Tafsir book Ruhul Ma'ani, Hazrat Adam was the first to descend to the land of Serendib, also spelled Serendip, which is now known as Sri Lanka.

Allama Ibn Kathir said:

Al-Saddi said Allah says, “Get you down, all” (2:36). They consequently descended: Hazrat Adam down in India along with the Black Stone and a few leaves from Paradise. He dispersed the leaves in India, and a perfume tree blossomed as a result, giving rise to the perfume that emanates from India. Hazrat Adam only took them out of regret at having to leave Paradise when he was expelled from it.

Hazrat Ibn Abbas related that “Hazrat Adam came down from Paradise in Dahna, in the land of India.”

Through a chain of narration that goes all the way up to Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Ibn Abi Haatim reported that Adam (peace be upon him) descended in a place called Dahna, halfway between Makkah and al-Taa'if.

According to a recounted statement by al-Hasan al-Basri, Adam descended in India, Hawwa in Jeddah, Iblees in Dastumeesaan, not far from Basra, and the serpent descended in Asbahaan. Ibn Abi Haatim is the one who narrated this.

Abdullah Ibn 'Umar is reported to have said: Adam came down on al-Safa and Hawwa' on al-Marwah. This is according to a chain of narration reported by Ibn Abi Haatim.

[See Tafsir al-Quran al-Azeem, 1/237]

The differing statements shortly mentioned above suggest that there isn't any concrete evidence to demonstrate where Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) first descended.

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Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.

URL:   https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/hazrat-adam-india-planet/d/128862

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